Plenary Three

2018 National Chinese Language Conference

Building a Globally Fluent Workforce

Friday, May 18, 12:30–2:15 p.m.

This plenary will discuss the importance of building a globally fluent workforce with a focus on opportunities for speakers of Chinese language. Thought leaders and practitioners from various industries will share their personal experiences in and contributions to U.S.-China relations and education and discuss the growing prospects for Chinese language learners to use language and cultural skills in a range of professional environments.

Moderator

About the Speakers

Amy Celico
Principal, Albright Stonebridge Group

Amy Celico is a Principal of Albright Stonebridge Group (ASG), and leads the firm’s China team in Washington, DC. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience, Ms. Celico develops and implements tailored strategies for clients, helping them deepen relationships with key stakeholders, resolve complex problems, and build and expand their business.

Prior to joining ASG, Ms. Celico served as Senior Director for China Affairs at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She also worked at the U.S. Departments of Commerce and State, including as a diplomat stationed in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as in Washington, DC in the International Trade Administration and the Bureau of Intelligence and Research.

Ms. Celico earned a B.A. with honors in Asian Studies from Mount Holyoke College and completed her M.A. at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. She speaks Mandarin Chinese and is also a graduate of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center in China.

Derek Miller
President and CEO, Utah World Trade Center

Miller is the president and CEO of the World Trade Center Utah, an organization with the mission to "Help Utah companies think, act and succeed globally." WTC Utah is a member of the World Trade Centers Association headquartered in New York City, a network of more than 300 World Trade Centers in over 100 countries.

Previously Derek served as Chief of Staff to Governor Herbert, overseeing the governor's office and state operations. He also served as Managing Director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development for Governor Huntsman.

Derek began his career in Washington, DC, as a management consultant with Arthur Andersen and as legal counsel for a congressional committee in the House of Representatives.

Derek is a graduate of the J. Reuben Clark Law School and holds a Master of Public Administration from the Romney Institute of Public Management at Brigham Young University.

Derek and his wife Laura live in Salt Lake City with their three children. They enjoy spending time together exploring Utah’s countless natural wonders.

Recognizing his leadership in expanding prosperity across the state, Governor Herbert lauded Derek as "an architect of economic opportunity and innovation" and "instrumental in transforming Utah into one of the most competitive and fastest growing economies in the country."

Matt Salmon
Vice President of Government Affairs, Arizona State University

Rep. Matt Salmon, who represented the 5th District of Arizona for five terms in Washington, joined Arizona State University as Vice President of Government Affairs in 2017. Salmon oversees the University’s Federal, State, Community, and Tribal relations, putting his years of experience as a state and federal lawmaker to work on behalf of an institution that is committed to the economic, social and cultural health of the communities that it serves.

Salmon attended public school in Mesa, Arizona and graduated from ASU in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in English literature and holds a Master’s of Public Administration from Brigham Young University. He spent 13 years in the telecommunications industry in Arizona, before being elected to the Arizona State Senate, where he rose to assistant majority leader and chairman of the Rules Committee before his election to Congress in 1994.

Salmon served three terms before honoring a self-imposed term limit, leaving Congress in 2000, at which time he worked as a consultant to ASU on matters related to education policy. He returned to Congress in 2012 and was re-elected in 2014. Salmon was a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and he speaks fluent Mandarin. Salmon has served as chairman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere and as chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, and he has led numerous delegations to China. At ASU, Salmon assists the university in advancing its global strategy, including working with the governments of other countries to advance international projects.

He and his wife, Nancy, have been married for 36 years and are the proud parents of four children and the proud grandparents of eight grandchildren.

Wenchi Yu
Head of Global Public Policy, VIPKID

Wenchi Yu is the Head of Global Public Policy for VIPKID, a fast growing global education technology company whose mission is to inspire and empower every child for the future. Previously, Wenchi was Goldman Sachs' Head of Corporate Engagement in Asia based in Beijing, responsible for the firm's philanthropic engagement in the region. She worked in the US State Department and US Congress, as well as several nonprofit organisations before joining the private sector.

About the Moderator

John Holden
CEO, US-China Strong Foundation

John L. Holden is CEO of the US-China Strong Foundation. In this role, he works to expand US-China Strong’s presence, programs and mission to create more productive relations between future American leaders and their Chinese peers. Prior to joining US-China Strong, Mr. Holden was Associate Dean at Peking University, where he played a key role in the launch and management of the university’s Yenching Academy – a center for select college graduates pursuing Master’s degrees in China Studies – and served as Professor of Management Practice at the university’s Guanghua School of Management.

A veteran China expert, Mr. Holden was President of the National Committee on US-China Relations from 1998 to 2005, helping to grow the organization’s scope and programmatic initiatives, including the US-China Young Leaders Forum and the Foreign Policy Colloquium. He also led Track II dialogues and managed exchange programs on topics ranging from security and the environment to public health and education. In 2017, he received an award from China’s State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) for his “Outstanding Service and Contribution to Education in China.”

Previously, Mr. Holden has served as Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China’s Board of Governors and held senior management positions with Cargill, Inc., an agribusiness company; Hill & Knowlton, a strategic communications firm; and BankAmerica World Trade Corporation.

Fluent in Mandarin, Mr. Holden has lived in Beijing, Hong Kong and Taipei for more than 30 years, is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and is Nonresident Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He earned his M.A. in Chinese Language and Literature from Stanford University and his B.A. in the same field from the University of Minnesota.

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